Jubel and Asahi are rapidly replacing Guinness as British drinkers’ favourite pints, the boss of Fuller’s has said, as he tipped the Irish stout to recede in popularity.

Simon Emeny, executive chairman of the premium pubs group, said Guinness’s growth is “slowing down quite significantly” as punters switch to fruit lagers and spritzes. 

Fuller’s said its  sales of Japanese lager Asahi grew by 18 per cent in the six months to September, while sales of peach-flavoured lager Jubel soared by 71 per cent. Demand for spritzes soared by 118 per cent. 

Jubel, which is priced at £8-a-pint in some City establishments, has surged in popularity in recent years. Pub sales of the lager up 117 per cent year-on-year over the summer and takings across fruit beer reached £40m in the UK in recent months.

Guinness, on the other hand, has failed to continue the meteoric rise it has enjoyed in recent years. Last week, its owner Diageo said sales of the Irish stout had declined by single digits in the UK due to “unusually hot weather and competitive pressure”. 

Emeny told that sales of Guinness at Fuller’s pubs “came off quite a bit during the summer,” though its popularity is starting to recover as the weather becomes colder and wetter in the run-up to Christmas.

He said: “Guinness has been on double-digit growth now for five years. I think that growth is now slowing down quite significantly and becoming more normalized.

“Customers are always looking for the next thing. And the next thing at the moment is high quality premium continental lagers, fruit lagers, spritzes, and some of that is coming off Guinness.

“I think it will remain a very high volume drink, but I don’t think it will continue to grow at the same rate.”

Wealthy punters defy cost-of-living squeeze

Fuller’s has said its affluent target audience has allowed the pub firm to brush off fears that falling consumer confidence means Brits are spending less on food and drink. 

“Across our pubs and hotels, we have an affluent customer base that is more economically resilient to the impact of rising costs,” the firm told shareholders on Wednesday.

The pub group grew its revenue by six per cent to £221m in the year, while its pre-tax profit jumped from £21m to £28.5m. 

The group said it attracts more high-income households than its competitors, and has turned to premium drinks ranges and summer events – like Shakespeare in the Garden – to retain these punters.

Fuller’s invested £1.5m into its gardens over the summer, providing 14 per cent more bookable space to capitalise on the World Cup, which boosted the UK’s pub firms earlier this year. The group runs theatre shows in the gardens of 81 of its pubs. 

The firm is set to spend £33m by the end of the year upgrading its pub estate, focussing on sites including The Pavilion End in Moorgate, The Hereford Arms in South Kensington and The Prince’s Head in Richmond.

Emeny told shareholders: “Across the business, we set ourselves up for success and our teams have delivered outstanding results, capitalising further on the opportunity presented by exceptional summer weather and the football World Cup. 

“We had a clear focus, made good preparations in advance, and these results are a testament to those plans and the manner in which we have executed them – growing sales, volumes and margin.”